Document text
Tredway makes headway as pro By Don Hunt There have been some setbacks for Andrew Tredway as he travels down professional golf�s highway of hard knocks and sun-baked stops. But the former Ashland High and University of Oregon standout is as persistent as a Pebble Beach breeze, and he has every intention of making it through the PGA Tour�s qualifying school next fall. Tredway, 24, is spending time with his parents in Ashland over the holidays before heading to Tampa, Fla., where he�ll room with former UO teammate Adrian Burtner and hook on to a couple of minitours in the Sunshine State. Tredway earned a tour card on the Australasian Tour in November and hoped to jump-start his pro career there, where purses range from $1 to $2 million. But Tredway learned that because he didn�t finish in the top 20 at qualifying school, he would have to wade through the Monday qualifiers each week during the Australasian Tour. He shot 72 and missed the cut by two strokes at the Australian PGA. He shot another 72 and missed the cut at the Ford Open by one stroke. He shot 78 and missed the Australian Open cut. "I was playing decent golf and missing the cut," Tredway says. "It was frustrating." It was especially frustrating because Tredway had led the first stage of the Australasian qualifying school in early November by shooting rounds of 70, 66 and 71. But his scores ballooned to 70, 73, 73 and 74 during the second and final stage and that was enough to drop him out of the top 20 and deprive him of the Australasian Tour qualifying exemptions. Still, the experience Tredway gained Down Under was invaluable. "That�s the third biggest golf tour in the world, and I did in fact get my card," says Tredway, who has won five minitour events since turning pro last June. "I had some success there and I�m going to build on that." Once in Florida, Tredway will first play in a couple of Hooters Golf Tour events . He�ll then try to qualify for two PGA Tour events in the Sunshine State � the Doral Open and the Honda Classic � before entering the Montgomery Sports Tour, a mini tour in southern Florida that runs from late May through August. The latter tour costs $17,000 to enter. Tredway is hoping to gain sponsors to help foot the bill, with the stipulation that he�ll return 80 percent of his winnings to his supporters. The winner of each Montgomery Tour event collects $25,000, and the leading money winner will probably earn about $120,000, Tredway estimates. Tredway picked up sponsors when he first turned pro six months ago, and all of them got their money back, he says. Anyone interested in sponsoring him may call 482-9306 for details. "It takes a lot of pressure off knowing you don�t have to do well in a tournament just to pay the rent or put food on the table," Tredway says. "And it makes it easier to go out and practice each day, knowing that people believe in you and want you to succeed." Tredway is a solid golfer with no discernible weakness, but admits "you can always get better at putting." "I feel like I�ve gotten better every year I�ve played and I�m confident I�m going to get better yet," he says. "There�s a ton of good players out there and most of them aren�t going to make it (onto the PGA Tour), but I truly believe that I will." The first stage of the PGA�s three-tiered qualifying school is next October. Reach reporter Don Hunt at 776-4469, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2000 Mail Tribune, Inc.